Weekly Newsletter

Hall of Fire this weekend: The Hobbit chapter 19

In the Hall of Fire, we’ve reached the end of our chapter-by-chapter read-through of The Hobbit. This weekend we’ll discuss the final chapter, touching on the return journey, the interlude in Rivendell, the final division of the troll hoard and the domestic chaos that Bilbo discovers on his return.

“It was on May the First that the two came back at last to the brink of the valley in Rivendell…”

The Hobbit: Chapter 19: The Last Stage

But we’ll also be asking some wider questions. How has Bilbo changed? Has he matured? Might he have stayed in Rivendell? What does it mean that he returns to Bag End?

And how does Bilbo’s fate compare with that of the dwarves, and especially The Master?

Join us on Saturday October 24 at 6pm EDT when we’ll be examing all this and more as we wrap up our reading of The Hobbit in Hall of Fire!

Upcoming discussions

Saturday October 31: The Seven Sons of Feanor
Saturday November 7: The Hobbit: a wrap-up
Saturday November 14: Feanor
Saturday November 21: The Rankin/Bass animated Hobbit

Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help. Alternatively, check our handy Event Announcer over on Time and Date for the correct time in your area.

Our chats usually last about an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation! However, our main room, #theonering.net is open 24 hours a day. We don’t always talk Tolkien there, but if you have a burning question, you’ll usually find one or two of “the regulars” up for a chat!

Where — connection details

Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net — the TORn IRC server. It is based on internet relay chat technology (that means it’s hella old skool). It’s a text-only, moderated chat room full of eccentric Tolkien fans. We’re open 24/7 (although some times are busier and more active than others).

There are many ways to connect to the chat server. However, the easiest is generally to use a browser-based client. We usually direct folks to Mibbit:

If you’re more oldschool or technically adept, you can install one of the scores of standalone chat clients that available for desktop and mobile devices. Just plug in our server details (see bottom) into the client and connect.

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